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612. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection to consider introducing a system whereby people on the carer's allowance can sign off on various weeks, like the system with jobseeker's payments whereby people can mark (X and O) on days they were working so that they do not claim, in view of the fact that people sometimes may get work while on carer's allowance, it may extend beyo…

547. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of carer’s allowance who have had their payments reviewed in 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of people in receipt of carer’s allowance who have, on review, had their carer’s allowance revoked in 2024 and to date in 2025; and the number of these people who have appealed the decision, in tabular…

631. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of fuel allowance recipients whose qualifying payment is carer's allowance, carer's benefit, disability allowance, or invalidity pension; the number of these cases which qualified under the over-66 means limits versus the standard means test, in 2024/2025 and 2025/2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [514…

532. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing times for carer's allowance claim reviews and carer's allowance claim appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35722/25]

1860. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of carers in receipt of the carer's support grant; providing a breakdown of the number eligible due to receiving the carer's allowance, carer's benefit, the domiciliary care allowance and all others, in tabular form. [43648/25]

813. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the cost of making the carer’s allowance, including the half-rate carer’s allowance, exempt from tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1960/26]

402. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline for the past four years, the average time between reviews for recipients of a carer’s allowance; the number of times his Department has reviewed a carer’s allowance recipient more than once in a year; if multiple reviews of recipients is standard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49576/25]

669. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeframe for when the means tests will be removed for carer’s allowance; if there will be any change to the way carer’s allowance is taxed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2549/25]

537. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of first-time applicants disallowed for the domiciliary carers allowance; the number of appeals on this decision; the number of domiciliary carers allowance awarded on appeal, the number awarded on second application, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14211/25]

1858. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the last review into the foster carers allowance took place; the steps her Department have taken to review the foster carers allowance with regard to the increased cost- of- living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46889/25]

1831. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Social Protection if the hours that can be worked while on carer's allowance could be increased to 19.5; if exceptions can be made to allow people on carer's allowance to work on a CE scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42407/25]

1177. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has any plans, or if he has done any work on reciprocal arrangements, whereby Irish citizens resident in Northern Ireland will access core welfare payments, such as carer's allowance, when their PRSI contributions have been used up and they are no longer eligible for carer's benefit; if he is aware of the hardship incurred…

98. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person currently receiving carer’s allowance and a child increase for two children will now be dropped down to half-rate carer’s allowance and their child increase taken away once they become in receipt of maternity benefit; if his Department can justify a reported net loss of €230 a week and €8,050 over the 35-week period …

571. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he will address an anomaly in the tax treatment of carer’s allowance whereby a jointly assessed couple sees a reduction in tax credits and bands when one is awarded carer’s allowance, which consequently reduces the actual financial benefit received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43056/26]

653. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to alter the criteria for carer's allowance for twins, which currently pays at one and half rate, to allowing a carer to receive full rate carer’s allowance for each individual twin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54576/25]

117. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason an individual who is currently receiving carer’s allowance and a child increase for two children will now be dropped down to the half-rate carer’s allowance and their child increase taken away once they go on the maternity benefit; if he can justify a reported net loss of €230 a week and €8,050 over the 35-week period while …

272. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason an individual who is currently receiving carer’s allowance and a child increase for two children will now be dropped down to the half-rate carer’s allowance and their child increase taken away once they go on the maternity benefit (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6844/25]

1193. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the correspondence (details supplied) regarding the eligibility for carer's allowance; if his Department has any plans to review the current 18.5 hour weekly work limit for recipients of carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19654/26]

398. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of recipients of carer’s allowance which were newly contacted by Revenue during the most recent tax year in respect of tax liabilities arising from carer’s allowance; the total amount of tax assessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9338/26]

464. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a couple (details supplied) do not qualify for full time carer's allowance despite being pensioners earning a combined €32,000 but another couple who earn €110,000 would qualify for full time carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53428/26]

155. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who qualified for the carer’s allowance, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2025; and the number of persons who applied for carer’s allowance but were refused in each of those years. [49655/25]

578. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide a breakdown, by county, of the number of people who will receive an increase in their carer's allowance payment when the changes to the means test takes effect in July 2025; if he will outline the overall percentage of carer's allowance recipients who will now qualify for the maximum weekly payment on foot of …

10. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional people that will benefit from increases in the carers allowance means test threshold due in July 2026; whether he has engaged with the Minister for Health and her Department to ensure that carers allowance income will not be included under the medical card means test so that those who benefit from the expanded …

111. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who will receive an increase in their carer’s allowance payment when the changes to the means test takes effect in July 2025, by county; if he will outline the overall percentage of carer’s allowance recipients who will now qualify for the maximum weekly payment on foot of the changes in July 2025; and if he w…

636. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will issue on a person’s (details supplied) carers allowance review in view of the fact it has been pending for some time; if he will give serious consideration to awarding the person the carers allowance given they provide a significant level of full time care to the person in question and the means test threshold has…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Quaide as na Social Democrats as an rún seo inniu. Ní bheimid ag cur i gcoinne an rúin. We will not be opposing the motion put forward by Deputy Quaide and the Social Democrats. I welcome the opportunity the motion gives us to discuss the very important issue of carer's supports that are provided by my Department. The motion is timely and I welcome in particular th…

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this issue, which I am dealing with on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary. The Government acknowledges the vital role that family carers play in our society and remains fully committed to supporting them in that role. This commitment is reflected in both the programme for Government and the recent budget. The Department of Social Prot…

I move: "That Dáil Éireann: recognises: — the invaluable contribution of family carers, who provide full-time care to family members with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or age-related care needs, often at great personal, financial and emotional cost; — that family carers play a critical role in the Irish care system, providing unpaid labour that saves the State more than €20 billion every ye…

I thank the members of the Independent Technical Group for bringing forward this very important motion. The first motion I brought to this House along with my party regarded young carers, so it is positive to see Members continuing to highlight the issues impacting family carers. During the general election, disability and care were central policy areas. I am glad to see that it continues to be a …

I will focus on two areas in the budget. One is the carer's allowance, particularly the means test. I was spokesperson on social protection previously and I have done some work with the carers' association. In the previous general election, the issue of the carer's allowance was discussed at some length. Two areas of concern were raised, one of which was the principle that if somebody is caring fo…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss fair and sustainable funding for carers, home support and the nursing homes support scheme. The Minister for Health is not opposing the motion. I echo the motion in acknowledging the indispensable contributions of carers and front-line healthcare workers. We all know that they do phenomenal work. Their valuable work supports older people, people with disabilit…

The main income supports provided by the Department to carers are the carer's allowance, carer's benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer's support grant. Spending on those payments in 2026 is expected to be over €2.2 billion. In general, people who are eligible for two social welfare payments at the same time receive the higher payment for which they are eligible; they do not receive b…

In future, I will make sure we have the answers as Gaeilge for the Deputy. We are very aware of the key role that family carers play. The main income supports to carers provided by my Department are carer’s allowance, carer’s benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the carer’s support grant, which will account for over €1.9 billion of my Department's budget in 2025. The carer’s allowance is the m…

The carer’s allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers in the community. There are currently 98,311 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure on the scheme in 2025 is estimated at over €1.24 billion. The primary objective of the carer's allowance payment is to provide an income support to people whose earning capacity is substantially reduced. …

In the programme for Government, the Government has committed itself to improving the situation in relation to income tax, disability, education, justice, etc. In order to bring about that improvement, it has committed to do these things over a five-year period. It was quite wrong for the speaker who has just left to say that the Government broke its promise in not getting rid of carer's allowance…

We all acknowledge the valuable role that family carers play. The Government remains fully committed to supporting carers in that role. The carer's allowance scheme is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers. This year, expenditure on the carer's allowance scheme is estimated to be over €1.24 billion. There are currently almost 102,000 people in receipt of carer's…

I thank the Deputies. I am delighted, as Deputies Kenny and O'Reilly are, that when we live in a Border county like Monaghan and Cavan, we can cross over the jurisdiction. That invisible crossing happens many times. A person could be living 1 mile up the road and be in a different jurisdiction. Deputy Kenny was quite right when he said carers are never going to be living a million miles away from …

The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers in the community. There are currently more than 100,000 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure in 2025 is estimated to be over €1.24 billion. My Department also provides other supports for carers which are not based on a means assessment, including the carer's support grant, carer's bene…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to deal with this issue. We made a big leap forward in last week's budget with the raising of the income disregard for carers, both in single situations and in couples. I welcome that and hope to see a continued progression of that over the lifetime of the Government. I am here today to point out what I think is a loophole in the system. I have raised i…

I thank all Deputies for their contributions to this important debate. On behalf of the Government, I acknowledge the great work provided by carers. I say that on a human level. We all deal with them every day, both in our daily lives and as public representatives. I want to put that on record. The Government is very aware of the valuable work being carried out by family carers. This is evidenced …

I thank the Deputy for his question. The programme for Government contains a commitment to continue to significantly increase the income disregard for carer's allowance across a series of budgets with a view of phasing out the means test over the lifetime of the Government. Budget 2026 has increased the earnings disregard for carer's allowance to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple…

I had this question down on behalf of Deputy O'Gorman but I thank Deputy Murphy for the question. The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers. There are currently 99,256 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure in 2025 is estimated at more than €1.24 billion. In common with other social welfare payments, the primary objective of the …

The carer's allowance is the main scheme by means of which my Department provides income supports to carers in every community. As the Deputy will be aware, more than 100,000 people are in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure on the scheme in the current year is estimated to be more than €1.24 billion. Carer’s allowance provides an income support to people whose earning capacity is substantia…

I thank the Social Democrats for introducing this motion. I have lost count of the number of times we have debated this matter in the Dáil. I welcome that there is a commitment in the programme for Government to get rid of the means test, but I will not be surprised if we end up going into the next general election with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promising to get rid of it. The failure to provide a…

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. It is simple: the means test for carers needs to be abolished. The means test excludes thousands of carers right across this State. I will give some examples. These are real people from my constituency who have come into my constituency office looking for help. There is a woman from my own area who was in receipt of carer's allowance. …

I too thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. According to Family Carers Ireland's State of Caring report, which was published last year, 69% of carers report that they find it difficult to make ends meet. Some 29% of those struggling financially are cutting back on essentials such as food and heat, the cost of which has gone through the roof in recent years. Some 23% missed a…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: - young carers and children are young people under the age of 18 whose lives are affected in some significant way by the care needs of another family or household member due to their illness, disability, mental health difficulties or problems with drugs or alcohol misuse, and who provide care, or help to provide care, to that person; - young adult carers …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist faoi chúramóirí. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go seasaimid leis na cúramóirí agus an jab iontach a dhéanann siad gach lá. The programme for Government sets out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing income disregards for the carer’s allowance in each budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of this Governmen…

Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh Gníomhach, as an am agus an deis a thabhairt dom. I welcome this motion from the Labour Party because it provides an opportunity to discuss the importance of family carers, particularly young carers. I particularly want to acknowledge Deputy Wall in proposing the motion. I also want to acknowledge the work of Family Carers Ireland and all of those referenced to…

I thank the Minister. In Fianna Fáil, we recognise the major contribution carers make to this society, many giving up careers and job opportunities and often providing full-time care to their loved ones. They take away a huge burden that would otherwise have to be met by the State by means of the use of third-party residences and institutional care for people who are disabled or had special or add…